Beef brisket ragù with potato gratin and herby crumble

  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes plus 5-6 hours for slow cooking
5.00

In this recipe, brisket is slow cooked in a rich red wine sauce with a touch of Sarson's Malt Vinegar for acidity and balance. Once tender it is served with a creamy potato gratin and sprinkled with a toasted seed and herby crumb. The perfect comfort food that works beautifully all year round.

First published in 2025
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

For the brisket ragù

  • 1kg beef brisket
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery sticks, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 200ml of Sarson's Malt Vinegar
  • 200ml of red wine
  • 400g of tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp of tomato purée
  • 500ml of beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • salt and pepper to season

For the gratin

  • 1kg russet potato, peeled
  • 300ml of whole milk
  • 300ml of cream
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 150g of Gruyère
  • 150g of brie, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp of salted butter
  • salt and pepper to season

For the herby crumble

  • 1 slice of sourdough bread, thick, torn into small pieces
  • 2 tbsp of mixed seeds, such as pumpkin and sunflower
  • 2 tbsp of walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 small bunch of parsley
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp of oregano leaves
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • salt and pepper to season

For finishing

  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1

Season the brisket generously with salt and pepper

  • 1kg beef brisket
  • salt and pepper to season
2

Preheat the oven to 140°C

3

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and sear the brisket on all sides until golden. Remove and set aside

  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
4

In the same pan, sauté the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat for 10 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more

  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery sticks, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
5

Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scraping up any sticky bits from the base

6

Pour in the red wine and reduce by half

  • 200ml of red wine
7

Stir in the tomatoes, purée and beef stock

  • 400g of tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp of tomato purée
  • 500ml of beef stock
8

Add herbs, return the brisket to the pan, cover, and cook in the oven for 5–6 hours, or until the brisket is tender. Once cooked, shred with forks into the sauce

  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
9

For the gratin, preheat the oven to 175°C fan

10

Thinly slice the potatoes using a mandolin

  • 1kg russet potato, peeled
11

Add the potatoes, milk, cream, garlic, salt and pepper to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then cook over a low heat for around 10 minutes

  • 300ml of whole milk
  • 300ml of cream
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt and pepper to season
12

Remove from the heat then add the grated Gruyère and stir until fully melted. Pour the potato mix into a greased baking dish then arrange the brie and butter over the top

  • 150g of Gruyère
  • 150g of brie, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp of salted butter
13

Bake for 40 minutes until browned and bubbling 

14

For the crumble, toast the bread, seeds and walnuts in a dry pan until golden

  • 1 slice of sourdough bread, thick, torn into small pieces
  • 2 tbsp of mixed seeds, such as pumpkin and sunflower
  • 2 tbsp of walnuts, roughly chopped
15

Blitz together all the crumble ingredients in a food processor to a coarse crumb. Season with salt and pepper to taste

  • 1 small bunch of parsley
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp of oregano leaves
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • salt and pepper to season
16

To serve, spoon the gratin into a serving bowl then top with a generous spoon of the ragù, herby crumble and black pepper

  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Brought to you by Sarson's

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